Over 500 buses to be operated from tomorrow

Only 50% of the seats will be made available for the passengers

Following the State government’s announcement of fresh relaxations in the COVID-19 lockdown, Coimbatore will witness the resumption of inter-district and intra-district bus services after nearly two months. Officials from the Coimbatore Division of Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) said on Saturday that 511 buses will likely be operated in Coimbatore district from Monday out of its total fleet of 1,012 buses. This would comprise 324 town buses and 187 mofussil buses. All the buses will be operated in adherence to the COVID-19 safety protocol, as per which only 50% of the seats would be made available for the passengers to ensure physical distancing, wearing of masks will be mandatory for passengers, drivers and conductors and regular disinfection of the buses. On Saturday, the TNSTC employees cleaned the buses that remained parked in the depots across the district since May 10 during the lockdown and mechanics carried out repair works, including changing of tyres. Depending on the demand, the number of buses being operated would be increased, according to the officials.